John alves



(No Model.)

J. ALVBS.

APPARATUS POR AMALGAMATING AND OONGENTRATING GRES.

No. 273,662. Patented Mgr. 6, l883.

df u' 'LN7-WT@ @qv/VQ/LQ@ UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE,

JOHN ALVES, OF DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND.

APPARATUS FOR AMALGAMATING AND CONCENTRATING ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 273,662, dated March 6,1883.

Application filed October 2B, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ALvEs, of George Street, Dunedin, in the Colonyof New Zealand, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatusfor Amalgamating and Concentratng Ores, of which the following is aspeeiicatiou.

The apparatus which I use for amalgamatl ing and concentratingoresconsists of a washer or concentrator, part of which also acts as anamalgamator. My washer or concentrator is in part of novel constructionand in part a novel arrangement of well-known contrivances. It consistsof an oblong casin g, in which there travels an endless blanket table,the upper portion of which travels up an incline out of the water and inan opposite direction to the flow from the batteries, and the lowerportion of which travels under the surface of the water and in the samedirection as the flow from the batteries. A series ofamalgamator-cyliuders, open at each end, are placed under the lowersides of the blanket, at the head of the machine. These cylinders lieand revolve in grooves or pockets. These pockets are adapted to receivemercury, whereby the inside and outside surfaces of said cylinders areexposed to the action of the mercury and\the extraction of goldfacilitated. I also employ means actuated through the medium of abell-crank, whereby the blanket may be shaken while passing through thewater.

In order, however, that my invention may be clearly understood, 1 willnow proceed to describe the drawings attached hereto, in which- Figures1 and 2 show plan and longitudinal sections of my separator andconcentrator. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of one of theamalgamator-cylinders.

A is a conductor to receive the pulverized ores from the stamps.

B is an ainalgamator-box mounted above the blanket, and B' is amercury-trough therein.

B is an opening in the lower side of box B, and B' is the bed.

a is an endless baize or blanket table, laid on canvas or other suitablematerial, divided into longitudinal sections by ropes n, sewed onto thebaize.

b are the upper bearing-rollers.

c are the driving-rollers.

d are washing-rollers.

e and c are inside and outside cranks.

f is a connecting-rod extending from the crank e' to a driving-crank onone of the rotating shafts. (Not shown.) x

gis a water-tank, through which the blankettable is caused to pass.

t' are under guide-rollers.

m is a tank under the mercury-trough, in which the amalgam-cylinders orevolve.

a are the ropes on the table a.

o are cylindrical amalgamators, open at each end, so as to amalgamate onboth inside and outside. These cylindrical amalgamators are revolved bycontact with the traveling apron a or by other familiar means.

p are quicksilver pockets, iu which the plates o dip.

r is a tailing-chute.

s is also a cylindrical amalgamator, open at each end 5 and s is amercury-trough, in which s works. The material, after passing throughthe conductor A, moves onto the bed B, and

then it is brought in contact with the amal-4 gamator s and mercury inthe troughs s and B. The material which is not arrested by the mercuryiu box B passes through the opening B onto the traveling blanket.

'o is a movable chute to tank m.

The amalgam-pocketsp draw out for cleaning up.

w is the frame to support the traveling table. It is made to lift up toallow the tank g to be emptied.

y is a lining under the upper half of the taA ble a, to catch the sandfrom the same.

z is the water-level in tank g.

The mode of operation is as follows: 'Ihe material to be treated,carried in a running stream of water, is fed onto the surface of end`less fabric table a, in an opposite direction to the travel of suchtable. The lighter portions are carried by thewater to the trailingchute r, the heavier parts are carried by the table, and the coarserparts are discharged down chute V into receptacle m, while the rest iscarried to the amalgamators, which dip into mercury recesses or groovesp, and that which is still left adhering to the table a is carried intothe lower part of and underneath the water in the washer or separator g.Here the table is conducted between two rollers, d d,

IOO

which give to it a shaking or up-and-down motion, so as to facilitatethe separation and deposit of any material it may yet have on its face.When the Washer g is sufciently charged, it must be cleaned out, and ifthecylindrical anialgamators are dirty they must be renewed and cleanedor resilvered, as the case may be, the gold in the form of amalgam beingfound mostlyvon the cylindrical amalgamators, while the pyrites andother valuable material will be found deposited in the bottoms of themercury-troughs.

Having described my invention, what Iclaim isf 1. The open endcylindrical amalgamatorso and the traveling apron ain combination withmercury-grooves p, adapted t-o receive said amalgamators in a manner andfor the purpose specified.

JOHN ALVEs.

Witnesses:

ARoHiBALD HiLsoN Ross, ERNEST ALFRED Ross.

